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Apostleship
Introduction
The word “apostle” (apostolos) is
from the Greek, meaning “an ambassador; one who is sent; a delegated authority.”
The word was used for high-ranking naval officers in classical Greek
times. An apostle of Jesus Christ was the highest ranking official in the local
churches, 1 Cor. 12:28.
Apostles of Jesus Christ were appointed by God the Father for the purpose of
establishing churches and spreading new truth, Eph. 3:1‑10. There were both the
spiritual gift and office of apostleship.
The spiritual gift was the divine enabling to function as an apostle,
Eph.
Some of the uses of apostolos
outside of the Bible are:
•
In the classical Greek period (4th and 5th centuries B.C.), apostolos was used
by Lysias and Demosthenes to refer to the commander of a naval expedition.
When the Athenians went to war, there was a number of men qualified to
command the fleet. One of these was
elected by lot and sent to the fleet to command it.
He was called apostolos.
•
During the Hellenistic period (323 B.C. and following) apostolos was used to
refer to a person commissioned and authorized by one of the gods.
•
In the Papyri of the koine period apostolos was used to refer to a civil agent
sent to transact official business.
In the New Testament, the apostles of Jesus Christ fall into two classes:
•
The apostles of Jesus Christ to
•
The apostles of Jesus Christ to the Church.
These included the eleven disciples (Acts
The Qualifications of an Apostle
An apostle had to have the spiritual gift of apostleship.
The gift was provided by Jesus Christ after His ascension into Heaven,
Eph. 4:8‑11. The gift was imparted
by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, 1 Cor. 12:11; Acts 2.
The apostle received his gift and office by the sovereign decision of God the
Father, 1 Cor. 1:1;
The apostle had to have been an eyewitness of the resurrected Lord, Acts 1:22; 1
Cor. 9:1.
The Credentials of an Apostle
An apostle was endowed with miraculous powers of miracles, Heb. 2:4; 2 Cor.
12:12.
An apostle had success in evangelism, 1 Cor. 9:2; 2 Cor. 3:1‑3; Gal. 2:7‑9.
An apostle had the capacity to suffer patiently, 2 Cor. 12:12.
The Function of an Apostle
Apostles received and communicated new revelation, Eph. 3:2-6.
Apostles communicated the gospel effectively and people accepted Christ in
response to their preaching, 1 Cor. 9:1; Gal. 2:7‑9.
Apostles helped organize local churches and appointed officers, Acts 14:23; Tit.
1:5.
Apostles trained new believers in doctrine, 1 Thess. 1:5 to
Apostles had the authority to administer discipline to believers, Acts 5:1‑10; 1
Tim. 1:20; 1 Cor. 4:21; 2 Cor. 13:2.
The apostle had authority over all local churches because he was the channel of
New Testament revelation. Since the
time of the apostles, no one has been given authority over more than one local
church.
The apostle Paul was the most Grace-oriented apostle.
He realized that he was the least deserving to be an apostle, 1 Cor.
15:9. He was the most productive
because of Grace, 1 Cor. 15:10.
There were false apostles who communicated false information, 2 Cor. 11:13; Rev.
2:2.
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Grace Notes
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